Broccoli Cheese Soup
Better than Panera, creamy Broccoli Cheese Soup with fresh broccoli and plenty of cheese. Whips up in 30 minutes!
Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time25 mins
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: broccoli cheese soup, broccoli cheddar soup, cream of broccoli soup, panera bread copycat soup recipe
Servings: 5
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1/2 cup celery diced
- 1 cup carrots diced
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 1/4 cups half and half
- 2 cups chicken stock may use vegetable stock
- 4 cups fresh broccoli cut in bite size pieces
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese grated (8 ounces)
- salt and pepper to taste
Add the butter to a soup pot and once it melts, drop in the onions, celery and carrots then season with salt and pepper.
Cook over medium heat 2-4 minutes or until the onions are soft then sprinkle the flour over the top. Stir to blend and cook one minute.
Whisk in the chicken stock then add the half and half and broccoli. Cover and cook over low heat 15-18 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
Turn the heat to low then blend in the cheese and season with salt and pepper. I start with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper (add more to your own taste).
The soup is ready to eat at this point but if you like a smoother blend (shown in photos), use an immersion blender and pulse in several areas of the pot until it’s the consistency you like then eat right away.
NOTE: if you don’t have an immersion blender transfer about one cup of the soup to a standard blender, puree then return to the pot.